# showImage

[Built-ins](README.md)

Canonical ID: `media.showImage`. Nederlands: `toonAfbeelding`.

Displays a packaged image as a retained full-scene background. The host resolves the asset; the program receives no file handle or unrestricted path access. Bounded PNG, JPEG, and GIF images are supported where the host implements image media. Use a .bipli project that contains the referenced file; the example is not a self-contained loose source application.

## Signature

```text
showImage(asset)
```

## Arguments

| Parameter | Type | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| `asset` | Text | Nonempty packaged project-relative asset path, normally under assets/. |

## Return value

`None`.

## Example

```pliro
# language: en
showImage("assets/background.png")
drawText(320, 20, "Pliro", 28, "white", "sans", "center")
```

Import `assets/background.png` into the project first. The image appears behind the label on a media-capable host.

## Notes and common mistakes

Use the function name for your source language. Its [canonical ID](../concepts/canonical-identity.md) is a shared documentation label; you do not type that ID as a call. Giving your own variable or function the same name can hide the built-in. Supply the documented [arguments](../concepts/parameters-and-arguments.md) and value types. Pliro reports mismatches when checking can detect them, or when the call runs.

A **host** is the app or environment running your program. To see a drawing, it needs a **renderer**, the part that draws on screen. The [command-line](../concepts/command-line.md) command `pliro run` shows text but does not draw these graphics. The [host support table](../guides/hosts.md) explains which effects work in the IDE, browser, native app, and phone preview. A native build reports an unsupported capability instead of leaving it out.

The example requires the named files inside a .bipli project. Packaged assets are currently limited to 12 MiB each. Paths under assets/ are project references, not arbitrary files or URLs. Current native export does not implement playSound.

## Related entries

[playSound](playSound.md) · [Programming guides](../guides/assets.md) · [Host support](../guides/hosts.md) · [Calls and arguments](../syntax/calls.md)